The Battle of the Sexes: The Pain of Lust
by Amethyst Ice
Summary: Something horrible is happening in the village, and Kag and San have to stop it by... BEING LUSTED AFTER! And they aren't the only ones! It's a battle of the sexes! IK SM


Hello. Well, I just can't wait to get started! This ought to be interesting. ^-^ Here I go! And this _will _contain a lemon, just for your information. It already hints to one in the first chapter. Read at your own risk. ^-^ Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own not Inuyasha, so poo on you! *blows raspberry*

****

Battle of the Sexes: The Pain of Lust

Ch. 1

Kagome and the rest of the Inuyasha gang ambled over the hill to the village, completely exhausted from their last battle, but all in one piece thankfully. They were tired, wanted nothing more than the quiet peacefulness of rest, and Kagome was seriously thinking of going back through the well for a _real _shower and sleep in a warm, soft bed. She cast one quick glance at Inuyasha's scowl and thought better of it. She wasn't in the mood for an all-out verbal war at the moment. She sighed. Why couldn't they get along for once? One whole day of no arguments sounded wonderfully blissful to her ears. A small smile flicked across her lips. Oh yes, even one day… if only a day… sounded like heaven.

"Hey wench, what are you sighing about now?" Inuyasha questioned roughly, causing Kagome's brow to knit into a frown. 

__

Oh no, not again, Her mind complained.

"If you're really that tired why didn't you say something? We could have stopped earlier. We weren't in a rush to get beck to the village you know."

She halted her steps. Staring at his back blankly, she blinked a couple of times. Was this really _her _Inuyasha? She blushed furiously. Where had _that _thought come from?!?

Inuyasha and the others stopped as well, turning to look at her curiously. They seemed wary after such a long journey and gaining only a single shard. They must have assumed that Kagome's blush was anger, and not what it was… a blush.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Inuyasha?" She asked in a monotone.

Inuyasha didn't know how to handle the question so he did the one thing he could think of. He crossed his arms, looked the other way, and closed his mouth, uttering a single sound, "Feh."

Kagome made her way over toward him. "No, seriously. You haven't been so nice to me since… well, since I almost _died!" _She felt his forehead, a look of concentration obscuring her features. "You don't _feel _hot," She murmured after a moment.

Inuyasha tried as hard as he could to not inhale her intoxicating scent, nor feel the warmth of her hand in contact with his skin. She leaned up, brushing his hair out of the way as if it was influencing the temperature of his forehead. Her right breast lightly brushed against his chest and he gulped. This was _not _good. She was too inocent for him, and he wanted her. Badly. He didn't know if he would be able to control the urge to grab her and run off into the forest or not. He jumped away from her sensual body, thinking of _ice cold _winters and jumping into an _ice cold _spring. 

It didn't help. "I'm fine, bitch," he grumbled.

Instantly her brows snapped together as she glared at him. "Inuyasha…" She said warningly, not wanting to have to spoil the moment with _The Word. _

He snorted and averted his gaze, the lower part of his body already becoming sexually aroused. How was it that a mere girl, and mere _human girl, _could affect his body like this? HE didn't want to explain to her that by calling her a bitch was a compliment to his kind. He didn't want her to know his feelings toward her. If she did, she could do whatever she wanted with them, and by placing that in her hands, he would become weak, and he didn't want that. He snarled in disgust. Look what he was turning into! And it was by _no _means influenced by Miroku, that was the horrible part. He had wanted to do things to her that he had wanted to do to know other. It must have been her smell. The scent screamed of pure innocence. She hadn't been _touched _as far as he knew, except for himself and that stupid Naraku and Kouga bastard, but they hadn't taken her innocence away. 

And _he _wanted to be the one to do that. _He _wanted to be the one to cause her such pleasure, hear _his _name on her lips. No one else's. No ones! She was his, and he would be sure that it stayed that way. If she wouldn't have him, which he knew she wouldn't, then he could at least make it so no one else would, especially not that Kouga bastard! Oh no! No one would so much as _touch _his Kagome!

Inuyasha growled again, this time at himself. He couldn't believe the way he was acting. He was fed up with himself, and he was sick of thinking constantly of the way Kagome's body would feel against his. He groaned as he once again became aroused, hot searing pain shooting through his lowed half. 

__

Not now… just not now, He urged himself silently.

He shot a quick glance at Kagome and saw that she was livid with rage still, obviously thinking that the sound from the pain and agony he was going through was directed at her. She was a bitch alright. An untamed bitch. If only he could tame her…

No. He didn't want her tamed. She _did _need to know her place though. _He _was the alpha male, the dominant of the two. _He _was the one who had the last say. It was _him, _and he would have to teach that to her one of these days.

Her anger soared when he smirked at the thought, but his grin only widened. He would relish the challenge, that he would, but only _after _he got a hold on himself. "I'll be back in a bit, just don't get yourselves killed while I'm gone, okay?" He said sarcastically.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Why you— "But he took off, and she barely had time to shout after him. "Hey! Inuyasha! Where are you going!"

But her voice only made him harder and he winced in pain as he continued to run, leap, and soar through the air. He had to get away. He couldn't take it any more. The whole trip was too… she had been too close for too long. His control was rapidly thinning and was about to snap… and when it did…

It wouldn't be good.

******

Kagome growled, frustrated. After things had been going _so _well, too!

"Shall we go then, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked, looking pointedly at the village that lay below.

"Yes. We've been gone for a long time. Kaede will be glad to see us." _I **might **also just **happen **to get a chance to leave for the well too, with Inuyasha gone, _She thought cheerily, a smile finally crossing her face. Sango and Shippo sighed with relief. They didn't want an upset miko on their hands.

"Come on!" Shippo urged excitedly. "I wanna see Kaede-babaa!" He leapt forward, sprinting down the small hill with exaggerated happiness, his energy seeming to just gain a second wind.

Kagome laughed. "We're coming, we're coming," She called after his retreating form. 

The exterminator, the monk, and the miko all made their way down the hill, glad to be back in a familiar territory. Kaede rushed toward them, carrying a confused kitsune in her arms, a look of worry on her old wrinkled face. Sango's grip on her boomerang tightened automatically, the monk's hand clutching unconsciously at his rosary.   
"Is something the matter, Priestess Kaede?" Sango asked when they were three feet away.

"Nothing dreadful, but I'm glad that you have finally returned. Sango, Kagome, I'm afraid I am going to have to request your assistance."

"What's going on?" Kagome asked, concerned.

Kaede waved her panic away with her hand. "Nothing to dwell on too much. The village child-bearer has taken ill for a weak now, with no sign of getting better in the near future."

"Do you need us to get some herbs for her?" Kagome offered, Sango nodding her head in agreement.

"No, she's taken care of, but I need more hands helping me with Yukari. She's due at any time, and her husband has just come to fetch me. Her pains are coming more regularly now, and I believe that this time may be it."

"Y-Y-You w-want… _us _to help you with… _child _bearing?" Kagome gasped, first turning pale, then blushing furiously, and then paling once again.

Sango on the other hand was already rolling up her sleeves. "What do you need us to do? Warm water? Clean cloths?"

Miroku and Kagome stared at her in pure amazement.

"What?!" She asked defensively, her brow twitching. "I've helped _plenty _of times in _my _village. It's not that big of a deal."

"It is in my time," whispered Kagome, looking as though she wanted to high-tail it out of there. "We have doctors for that sort of thing."

"Well we don't here, and if no one offered to help, we'll have dead mothers _and _their babies on our hands. Are you going to help or not?" Sango asked, all business-like.

Kagome gulped, then nodded. "S-Sure. I guess an extra miko won't hurt."

Sango nodded and grinned. "That's the way."

Miroku offered a small grin, looking nothing less than purely innocent. Sango watched him warily. "If you insist upon my help, I _guess _I may help the beautiful mother and her child. Ahh… if only it were my own."

Sango smacked him up-side the head with her large boomerang-bone, her eyes on fire. "Hentai! Men aren't allowed to help!"

But Miroku couldn't hear her. He was unconscious.

*****

"Did you get the extra cloths?" Kaede asked tensely as she worked over the young mother, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Yes," Sango replied immediately, watching and offering to help whenever she saw fit.

"I brought the warm water," Kagome called as she entered the dim hut, walking over to Kaede and Sango with two more buckets full.

"Good. Any time now…"

"Eiiahhh!" Yukari twisted and turned her head in pain, a sheer layer of sweat glazing her flushed face. "It… hurts…" She bit out through her clenched teeth. "Where's my husband? I want to see my husband!"

"You will soon, Yukari, but first you must bear this child. You wouldn't want to harm your unborn son, now would you?" Kaede asked in a soft and patient manner.

"You can _do _this, Yukari," Sango urged, taking the woman's hand. "They say that the first time is the easiest…"

"How would _you _know? You haven't even _lain _with a man, now have you?"

Sango blushed fiercely, but didn't comment further.

"Sango, what…?" Kagome asked, a small frown etched to her face.

"She didn't mean it, Kagome. The pain is getting to her, and often, when it does, they say things they don't often mean."

"Oh," was all Kagome could say. A determined look crossed her face as she leaned forward over the woman who looked to be only three years older. "You can _do _this, Yukari, I _know _you can. We believe in you, and you have a precious life inside of you that deserves his first gulp of air, his first breath of life. _Push, _Yukari. Soon it will all be over."

Kaede and Sango looked at Kagome with wide eyes.

"Where did _that _cone from?" Sango questioned.

Kagome shrugged sheepishly. "They always say _'push' _in the movies. Actually, when my mom talked to me about when she had my little brother, they kept saying it so many time that she said, 'I _can't _push! You pull!'" She blushed at the memory and Kaede and Sango both sweat-dropped.

"Here he comes!" Kaede said hurriedly, preparing the cloths and watching over the mother and Sango offered her hand to Yukari to squeeze, which she did gladly. Sango winced. She wouldn't doubt if all the bones in her hand shattered. Then again, the people of the village worked day in and day out in the fields. No wonder they held such strength!

"Do you sense any difficulties with your miko powers?" Kaede asked as a dark bloodied head began to show.

Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might. "No… but… I don't sense that everything is all right." He eyes snapped open as she glanced at the mother and then a Kaede in confusion. "Kaede…"

"It is as I feared then…" Kaede murmured and sighed.

After their tedious work that was _extremely _time consuming, _So much for sneaking off to the well, _Kagome thought briefly, the baby was finally born, and it was indeed, just as Kaede and Kagome had expected, a boy. A malnourished and tiny boy with yellow skin and a head full of hair, but a boy none-the-less.

After Kagome and Sango gently cleaned the infant and sucked the goobers from his nose, they wrapped him in a clean cloth and handed him to his mother, who accepted him with open arms and wet cheeks. 

"My little one, my baby," she crooned, now completely exhausted. 

"What will ye name him?" Kaede asked, looking tired and even more old all of a sudden.

Yukari smiled kindly, her eyes never leaving the being that was wrapped cozily in her arms. "Kiioji," she murmured finally. "That will be his name." Kaede nodded, slowly rose to her feet, and motioned for Kagome and Sango to follow her and leave the mother and her baby to rest for a while. When they were in a different room, Kaede sat by the fire, stirring the logs of wood located there, a forlorn look crossing her face.

"Kaede?" Sango asked tentatively as she sat next to the elderly woman, Kagome also joining them.

"Three babes have been born unhealthily in the past week," she commented tiredly, rubbing her temple. "At least two more are on the way. I am afraid that the gods are frowning down upon us."

"Maybe it is only the drinking water… or the food," Kagome said in an attempt to draw a conclusion.

Kaede shook her head. "No, I am afraid that that is not it. The mothers who are bearing the babes would be sick as well, and they are all as healthy as can be."

"I don't understand, what could it be then? What could make the gods so angry as to not grant this new life… this new life that has done nothing yet to offend them?" Sango questioned.

Kaede sighed. "That is the sole question I do not wish to answer."

"Well, has anything else gone wrong during the week we've been away?" Kagome asked softly, hoping and praying that their wasn't.

Kaede sighed heavily. "Other than our rice crops dying and the river close to drying up… no. Oh… and there is the fact that our rabbit and gopher population had increased, leaving us with very few vegetables."

Sango and Kagome both winced. "Ouch."

"Won't any near-by villagers trade with you?" Sango asked.

Kaede shook her head. "We have nothing of use that they need or want, they are too profitable during this season."

"Okay, now I'm afraid to ask," Kagome stated uneasily, "But _what _do you suspect is the reason behind all of this, and how do you propose we stop it?"

Kaede's ears perked up at 'we.' "So ye know I will be needing yer help, do you?" she asked, her steady gaze seeming to uncover every secret Kagome had kept from everyone.

"W-what do you mean by that? I just thought it would be nice to help the village in their time of need."

"You are too kind, Kagome," Sango stated flatly. "You don't even know what the consequences may be of 'helping.' Alright, Kaede. What do you want us to do?" She asked exasperatedly, but also wanted to help the village too. She couldn't save her own village from attack, so now she would settle for saving this village from whatever disease or malady it had. Or whatever curse the gods have placed on the land.

"I am afraid that the villagers are the ones at fault for this," Kaede said heavily. "They have forgotten what it was like to love the land, so they have forgotten what it is like to love one another."

"I still don't understand," Kagome said. "Why would the gods be angry about that?"

"Because the gods are the ones who made the land, just as they have made each and every one of us, am I correct, Kaede?" Sango asked, glancing at her gray-haired companion.

Kaede nodded gravely. "Yes, ye are. The people have forgotten the meaning of why they were created, to love and be loved. They cannot live without love, just as they cannot live without food. The problem is… I believe that there is only one way in curing this. When they realized how much they needed the crops, they have begun tending it with the right reasons and a pure intend in their hearts, instead of only thinking about it as a daily routine. Little by little, the crop has slowly gotten better, and there _may _be hope that we will have enough food to last us all of the winter."

"That's great!" Kagome shouted gleefully. "So won't the babies get better with time too?"

"I'm afraid not. Babies and crops are much different things. Loving a crop and tending it regularly is fine, but it does not mean that they will love their spouse. It does not mean that they realize how much love is needed in their lives."

Slowly it dawned on Sango what it was Kaede needed everyone to do, and she paled rapidly. She opened her mouth, but no sound emitted from its depths. She sat their, eyes wide and stuttering for a few minutes until she was finally able to spit out a _"No!"_

Kagome glanced at her, thoroughly confused. "No? No _what?"_

But Sango's attention was only focused on Kaede. "You can't _possibly _want us to…" She swallowed, but found that her throat was dry. She couldn't believe this. She would _never, ever _do…

"Sango, please. Do not jump to conclusions," Kaede said in an extremely calm voice. "All the women of the village need to do is prove to the men that they _are _truly needed, and earn the man's love in respect. After that is accomplished, the babes that are born should be as healthy as can be."

Kagome clapped her hands together as color slowly ebbed up into Sango's stark face once again. "That should be easy enough," she said cheerfully. "We can get all the women to work extra hard and…"

"I am afraid that by working harder, they would only tire themselves out more, Kagome."

"Oh. Right. Well, we can form a boycott then! None of the women will work the fields until the men realize how much they are needed!"

Kaede shook her head. "The women would never shirk their chores, and if the did it would only cause the men anger. Nothing would be solved."

Kagome frowned in puzzlement. "This will be harder than I thought!"

"W-when y-you said…(gulp)… _needed, _Kaede-sama, you don't happen to mean… mentally _and _physically… do you?" Sango asked in a strained voice.

Kaede simply nodded.

"Y-you d-d-don't mean… _sexual _needs… do you Kaede?" She asked in a whisper that sounded more like a squeak.

"Yes," was all Kaede stated.

Sango fell over anime style and Kagome's eyes widened and a large blush spread over her cheeks when it finally dawned on her. "Oh," was her only comment.

Sango leapt up to her feet. _"You _said not to jump to _conclusions!" _She yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the old lady.

Kaede simply nodded her head, her eyes closed with a peacefully relaxed expression on her face. "That I did."

"But I was _right!" _she shouted out, her face entirely red from either rage or embarrassment, or perhaps both.

"No, ye weren't."

"I'm not?" She asked, blinking in confusion as all her steam seemed to vanish.

"No."

"Th-then what—"

"Ye _do _have to get the men to need ye…or…er…_lust _after ye… but ye need not to follow through with your actions."

"S-so… we don't have to… do _that?" _Kagome asked, greatly relieved. Her heart seemed to have wanted to beat out of her chest she was so scared. She couldn't do _that! _She didn't even think she could get someone to…well… _lust _after her as Kaede had put it. The only person she would want the attention from was Inuyasha, and he _clearly _didn't think that of her at _all! _Now… if they got dumb _Kikyou _over here they would probably have all the so-called 'lust' the stupid village would need!

"No, ye don't. Ye can if ye _wish, _of course. I certainly won't stop ye, and it'll only help more so if ye do—"

"We wouldn't even be _married!" _Kagome and Sango cried out at the same time.

Kaede winced at their outburst. "All I am saying is that I need your help," Kaede said seriously, fixing both girls with her one good eye. "I need you two to help my village before this destroys us. I am asking that you help me come up with _some _idea as to how this will work, and how spouses may become more closely intertwined. I am asking that you participate in it, and that you also lend your help to this village. Will you do that? Not only for me, but for this entire village, for the unborn children. Please." Kaede looked at the heart-wrenchingly, a single tear trickling down her cheek.

Again Kagome thought about Inuyasha and Kikyou. "If _Kikyou _were here _she _would—" She knew her voice sounded bitter and was going to say, 'help Inuyasha with _his _lust, but Kaede cut her off.

"This has happened before, little more that fifty years ago. Kikyou would not help us. She thought of it as a disgrace to women everywhere."

Kagome blinked, swallowing a huge lump in her throat. _I won't be like Kikyou! _She swore to herself. _I won't sink **that **low! I'll help the others just as she never helped them! I-I'll… **try **to at least, _She added a little less confidence that when she had started her oath, blushing slightly. _Although I have **no idea **what I'll do…_

"I'll do it," Sango said firmly. "For the village."

"I will too," Kagome stated defiantly, though to whom, she had no idea. "For the people, and their children. I'll do it for love."

Kaede nodded her head. She knew she would, she just hadn't known how to get them alone to ask them, or how much yelling she would have to deal with. This had actually turned out better that she expected. "Do either of you have…erm… any ideas?" She asked tentatively.

Kagome nodded. "Yes. I do. They work too hard, we need to take a day off so they can have a relaxing and fun-filled day. It may even help the crops more when they go back to tending them."

Kaede nodded. "Yes, but how would that help with loving spouses and the such?"

Sango leaned forward. "Their minds wouldn't be on working anymore, so they would be able to spend time with their loved ones and have a care-free day. We can have people make special treats and give them away for free since the times are so bad. It will be our own little festival. We'll have…" She thought for a minute. She didn't want dancing, because it seemed too traditional. Maybe there could be a little dancing come night fall, but for during the day… "We'll have competitions. Everyone will sign up with a partner, boy-girl, and there will be archery, wrestling, and boomerang throwing," she added with a mischievous look in her eye. "It'll be a battle of the sexes, in more ways than one."

"This sounds like fun!" Kagome said excitedly, thinking it through.

"It might actually work, and should undeniably help… we can prepare for it as soon as possible. It'll take place in one week…"

"So far away?" Kagome asked sadly. "I don't know if I'll be here…"

Kaede stared at the girl. In order for this to work, Kagome _had _to be present! When they had all shone up it was the most love and lust that Kaede had felt from her miko powers for _weeks! _She needed this to work! "Will ye be here in three days, child?" She asked, trying to conceal her concern.

"Y-yes," she said shyly.

"Good! You _better _be here! I'm not doing this alone!" Sango said quickly.

"At least all you have to do it practically hold Miroku's hand and he'll be a lust-filled puddle at your feet!" Kagome complained. "I have…" She shuddered. "Inuyasha. He doesn't feel _anything _like that toward _me!"_

Oh, I wouldn't be so sure… Kaede thought to herself wryly. _Was it not Inuyasha that I felt the most need come from? It could only be directed at Kagome. And Miroku must have gotten a nice view of **someone's **rear end, _she thought to herself, meaning Sango.

"Oh, come on. At least he's strong and courageous," amended Sango.

Kaede thought it best to intervene. "Will ye two help with the preparations and spreading the word?"

Both girls jumped, then sheepishly looked over at Kaede. "Of course."

"Yeah, sure," Kagome said with a sincere smile.

"The two pregnant mothers know about my suspicion of why the other babes have been born unhealthily, so don't think it anything wrong if they come to talk to you for reassurance."

"O-okay…"

"Now let's go check on Yukari again, shall we? We'll see how little Kiioji is doing."

******

~ ~ ~ ~ Later that night ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Kaede made sure that the entire village was sleeping peacefully before she lit a small candle and walked purposefully to the fire, kneeling at it's hearth. She needed to know the answer of whose hands the fate of the village rested in. She had a good idea already… but she had to be sure.

"I call upon the god of visions and fire. Please allow this unworthy one to glimpse those who may change the current danger this village faces."

She made a triangle with one hand, and a circle with the other, finally bringing them together with a cross of her forearms. Her fingers spread far apart. She brought her hands up and pulled them toward the other slowly. When her hands crossed she made a movement as if she was pinching something in both hands, between her thumb and pointer finger, and then pulled them apart. A thin line of her miko powers appeared and she breathed a sigh of relief, sweating profusely. This took up _much _more of her concentration then she had thought! Still pinching the line of power in her left hand, she released the right end and brought her hand out and down as if she were trying to spread the line vertically instead of horizontally, spreading it out thinly. As it spread, she slowly released the end on her left so it made a fifteen inch (horizontally) by seven inch (vertically) rectangle in front of the fire, allowing the vision to come more clearly and accurately.

Finally Kaede was allowed to rest, looking into the shape she had just made and awaiting what it would behold. Kagome's face came into picture almost immediately, panting for breath as if she had been running for her life. Her hair was spread about her, not flowing out from behind her as it should have been doing if she had currently been running however. Her face was flushed, and she was moving up and down every now and then, her eyes opened, then closed, and then she would toss and turn her head as if in agony. 

"Inu…Inuyasha!" She screamed at the last moment as her head lolled back and she moaned.

Kaede would have blushed if she hadn't been such an old lady with nothing that seemed to surprise her anymore. She nodded her head in understanding and got up off of one knee, about the close the vortex that she had just made when another sight swam into view, causing the old woman to actually raise her eyebrows and sit back down. This… this was a picture of none other than…

Miroku.

He was moving up and down rhythmically, a sheer layer of sweat covering his features. There was no doubt that the houshi was doing much of the same thing… but with who was the question. Surely Sango wouldn't allow—

His next words totally blew Kaede by surprise. "Oh, Sango. Don't stop. I—I love you."

Kaede stared at the image until it went completely blank, and then her miko-energized rectangle turned blank and then turned to a dim nothingness, melting in with the fire, done with telling its story.

"Well I'll be," Kaede murmured to herself, still staring into the fire as if the images would spring up and haunt her for the rest of her life. "It looks as if some good will some of this after all."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End! I'm done with the first chapter! Wee! I'm happy! Very happy! I hope you enjoyed it! Review!


End file.
